Humans were drawing pictures on the cave walls in ancient history, but why?There are many theories, and it must have been an early form of communication, a predecessor to written language. But maybe drawing those hunters and animals was just really fun! Prehistoric Cave Painting All of my blockprints start as a pencil drawing. I have loved to draw since …
Maude Kerns Art Center, a small private art school in Eugene Oregon, actually launched my lifelong passion for block printing. My parents sent my brother and I there for summer art classes when I was just out of third grade, mainly to occupy us while our dad pursued higher education at U of O summer school.I loved the place instantly …
Madras Oregon in the 1970’s where I grew up was a small desert farming town. We were lucky to have some really amazing teachers. They gave us insights and inspirations that one might not expect in a tiny rural town. My favorite was Mac Lange, my junior high art teacher. She taught art at the Madras Jr High for decades. …
There are two basic methods for creating an image with a block print.Both have their place and artistic merit, but in this blog I want to share my thoughts on the two. With white line carving you carve away the lines that will remain on the paper un-inked. The paper reveals the image. The result can look similar to a …
I have loved to draw since I could first pick up a pencil, and I have loved block printingsince I could hold a carving tool. The wonderful and ancient process of carving in relief andprinting by hand has been my passion for over half a century. There is a special magic in the thrillIn pulling the first print from a …
Why does anyone create visual art? Personally, I am motivated by the inherent freedom and power of the act of creating. When I start on a new blank piece of paper, I am the master of my universe, andI am not constrained by anyone else’s rules or systems. I create my world of art in my own image, but I …
My prints always begin as a drawing, either drawn directly on location or working from a photograph. I draw on translucent vellum so that when completed, I can flip it over and transfer it to the wood or linoleum block using carbon paper. At this point, the image is upside down, and will be carved that way so that the …